Combined displaying and dispensing device for linear articles



April 28, 1935-v R. 1.. DREW 2,038,781

COMBINED DISPLAYING AND DISPENSING DEVICE FOR LINEAR ARTICLES Fiied May26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l IQ f' l- .-L E c.

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COMBINED DISPLAYING AND R. L. DREW 2,038,781 DISPENSING DEVICE FORLINEAR ARTICLES Filed May 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 28,1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED DISPLAYING AND DISPENSINGDEVICE FOR LINEAR ARTICLES Application May 26, 1933, Serial No. 672,970

1 Claim.

This invention provides a combined displaying and dispensing device forlinear articles.

More especially it provides for assembling and exhibiting a variety ofspecimens, of rope, for

5 example, in mutually comparative relation, each specimen being intactwith the coil orother supply of its particular variety which is beingoffered for sale, which usually is a mass of considerable and cumbersomebulk. It also provides sothat the customer in making his selection maytake the actual sample which he chooses, as a part of the desired lengthof that article, measured directly in the apparatus; with consequentadvancement of another portion to the display position. The invention isparticularly useful as a means for concentrating a number of varieties,in display, of rope or the like merchandise which ordinarily comes inlarge coils, each cccupying considerable space.

Rope, for example, may be carried in stock by a retail dealer in avariety of sizes, and also in varieties of structure, and. of. grade, orof materials or brands. The supply coils, heavy and bulky, if kept inconvenient location for view and examination of customers will take upconsiderable valuable space. Hence the dealer is likely to store thecoils in his basement or other out-ofthe-way place, and to keep onlysamples on the selling floor. The salesman, going to cut a length whichhe believes is like the selected sample, may make an error of selection;and may substitute inferior or different rope from that designated bythe customer.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide the generalsalesroom with an improved advertising-display, and sales-rack for ropeswhose actual bulk may be stored elsewhere, as for example in thebasement.

A feature resides in the provision for exhibiting a multiplicity of suchin very small floor space in such manner that all can be seen incomparison together, and each can be handled and fully examined, inconjunction with coacting measuring means for any part of this ropedisplay which the customer may select to be cut from the supply; and toleave a fresh intact portion of the supply to serve as a replacementsample.

The invention provides for making the display a spread, so that it canbe seen as a whole in association with suitable placarded information oradvertising matter and this may refer to individual specimens as well asto the whole so that a customer sees that he actually gets the rope towhich the information refers, and which he selects from among thosedisplayed.

The apparatus illustrated as embodying the in- Vention has a displaystand having a multiplicity of base guides, arranged at intervals in astraight line, each guide being adapted to receive a rope led into itfrom a sup-ply at a remote location, such 5- as from a basement or lowerlevel, with the ropes extending up through the floor and through theguides to terminal grips a few feet vertically above them. Thus all theropes stand vertically erect in spaced parallel relation in a plane. Aone-way l0 clamp may be associated with each base guide, permitting afree draft of rope from supply, for exhibition by handling, or forcutting off a length, but automatically tending to prevent any part. of

the rope above the base from slipping backward. 15-

' A board surmounting this display approximately in the plane of theropes has a rear face to hold the rope grips out of View from the front,

as also a device for measuring any of these stand, with its base guideserving to guide the rope on this temporary course leading through themeasuring apparatus. When a length of rope has been measured, and servedby beingbound on each side of the place where it is to be cut, the cutmay be effected; and the end of rope remaining becomes the new sample.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression inthe appended claim, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in theinvention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a rear elevation of a device embodying features of theinvention Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof, 45

Figure 3 is a detail of means which may be employed for supporting therespective rope ends in the stand;

Figure 4 is a further detail of the means of Figure 3-; 50

Figure 5 is an elevation, with the central portion removed, of amodified form of display device embodying features of the invention;

Figure 6 is a detail plan of the base guides and clamps of Figure 5; and1 able supply quantities of rope or of other materials of various sizesor kinds may be stored conveniently and in the customary large reels orcoils. On the floor I0 I provide the display stand of the invention,indicated generally at I2, which comprises a base I4 and a frame l6surrounding a display area I8. Base I4 may be hollow andmay be-securedrigidly to the floor; Its top Wall is provided with multiple openingswhich may be through guiding nipples 22; and the floor It), directlyunder the base, is arranged, as by openings or a long slot, for passageof ropes I5 from the supply coils in the basement to the display standings in base Hi, are arranged sideby side in a single row'along thebase, and each opening is made to constitute a guide for a rope, whetherthat rope passes thence vertically upward across the display areal8,-orwhether it makes a rather abruptturn, as from the right ofFigurel, on a course leading to the measuring device 20 located on' theframe [6 above the display-area.

For the-smooth running of the rope suitable guide pieces 22 maybeprovided; in the nature ,of short" pieces of piping with smoothed orchamfered throats, one for each ,of the base openings; or a singlemultiple-guide piece may be employed;

7 and the ropes l5'below the floor ID will naturally V besuitably guidedfrom their respective locations of supply which may-occupy anyconvenient positions.

Preferably the ropes maybe led into stand l2 in a definite mutualrelation, graded in successionas to size or kind. r

I In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, each rope extendsvertically upward out of its base guide '22, across the display area l8,and, as seen from the front, disappears at the top of that area. But ifit were desired that the ropes be supplied through a wal1,'ordown'through a ceil ing, in reaching the display area, correspondingguides might be otherwise located'su'itably in relation to that area.And,- for example, in the case of 'a wall entrance, the ropes mightextend horizontally through the display area.

The up-from-below form here chosen for representation has a crosssupport immediately above the display area, at the rear and seen fromthe front, by which supportthe displayed portion of the rope may besuspended, This support may be abar 24 extending across frame. I6, witha smaller bar 26 close by to cooperate for holding hanger clamps 28, asseen in.Figure's 1-4. However, when. the article suspended is'a rope orsomething that can beheld by a friction grip I prefer the simplersuspending means of Figures 5 and 7, which maybe merely an angle bar 24notched inV-shape asrat 28 The notch,'being of suitable angle, willholdany o f,the various sizes of rope; yet the rope may be easilydisenone of the jaw handles 35 may be dropped between the bars 24, 26,and the rope will then rest on bar 26 as seen in Figure 3. Any rope maybe easily lifted out and its clamp removed. 7 The stand I2 carries arope measuring mecha nism 20 in coac-ting relation to the base guides22. Preferably it will be above the display area l8 and behind the faceplate 30, or in any desired relation to the ropes on display. Themeasuring .mechanism may be of any suitable sort, that illustrated beinga known variety in which an indicating wheel or disk 32 is rotated in.association with a fixed pointer 34. Wheel 32 has a toothed periphery inmesh with gear 36 on shaft I 38, and is rotated by means of a wheel 46on the shaft 38 over whose periphery the rope tobe measured is drawn,while a floating wheel, 42, with grooved periphery, coacts to hold therope I V in frictional driving engagement with wheel 43. Ina preferredembodiment, the multiple open- Any one of the displayed ropes may beselected and be withdrawn from its suspending support 24,

26 or 24*, 26 for examination or for draft. In

the latter case the rope end may be threaded be tween the wheels 40, 42of the measuring apparatus, with the rope engaging around the peripheryof wheel '46, for the measuring. As the rope is drawn throughmechanism'ZO the indicating wheel 32 and fixed pointer 34 showthelength'of" rope passing the mechanism. After a desired length hasbeen drawn, suitable bindings may be applied, one in advance of and onein rear of the point where the rope is to be cut. By a suitable cutter,indicated at 44, the cut maybe effected between the bindings, which thenserve to prevent unwinding of the rope lateach cut end. The por-- tionof rope which was on display, and which may have been examined andselected by a customer, is included in the piece measured and cutforthat customer. On the one hand he actually gets the rope of hisselection, with no possibility of error or substitution; and on theother hand the device makes it probable that the customer.

has had a wider range of choice, for the COHCGl'l-a tration of thedisplay coupled with the banish ment of the supply encourages thedealerto; carry V-notch 28 or by re-applying clamp 28 and hanging it insupport 24, 26.

Each of the base guides 22 serves to guide a rope to its display stretchand to maintain that stretch in proper relation to adjacent ropes.

Also each said' guide performs a guiding function for'its rop'e on'thetemporary course it may take through the measuring apparatus.Furthermore, the coordination of the measuring device with multipleropes displayed in spaced relation all in the same vertical plane,permitting any one of the multiplicity of ropes to reach the measuringapparatus through a straight course from its.

base guide 22, eliminates possibility of kinking, and ensures a free andeasy advancement of rope from the supply coil stored in the basement orin any other desired place where it will not be taking up valuable floorspace, or be detracting from the general appearance of a show room orthe like. 7 If a guide 46 of the measuring apparatus, this will guide arope from one of the base guides 22 to wheel 40 and hold it thereon.

be providedadjacent to the wheel In Figures 1 and 2 each suspendingclamp 28 provides a secure removable fastening for holding a rope indesired display relation, extending loosely through its base guide 22and maintained taut by its own weight, with any surplus, inadvertentlydrawn through the base guide, returnable through the guide 22. With thenotch suspension I prefer to take the Weight of the rope below the guide22 off of the suspending means 24 28*. To this end, and also to ensureagainst a rope being allowed inadvertently to drop through the base, Imay provide the rope engaging dogs 48 in the base, as seen in Figuresand 6. Each of these dogs is pivoted as at 50 and extends at an upwardincline into engagement with its rope, through a vertical slot as at 52in guide 22*. The dog 48 permits upward travel of a rope, but preventsdownward travel thereof by pinching or biting into the ropewheneverdownward travel of the rope is attempted. Thus these base grips sustainthe weight of the rope below, leaving only display portions to besustained by the upper suspension support 24, 28

The base l4- preferably rises an appreciable distance above the floor,thereby providing a face area suitable for bearing advertising orinformative data, and adapted also to protect the portions of the ropesadjacent to the floor against becoming soiled by dirt and water when thefloor is bein swept or mopped.

While herein described as it may be used for rope, the apparatus isuseful for other linear articles, as for example other varieties ofcordage products, upholstery or curtain cord or other cords or cables,insulated or other electrical wires, rubber tubing, garden hose, etc.

I claim as my invention:

A display and dispensing device comprising the combination of sideuprights, a multiple guide base joining them; a horizontal rail alsojoining them but located at a display distance above said base, therebytoprovide an intervening display area; a multiplicity of individual gripelements removably supported, in side by side relation, on said rail;said base guide being adapted to guide a multiplicity of ropes or thelike coming up from below into said display area, and each said gripelement being adapted'to engage detachably an end portion of one of saidropes for suspending it in parallel relation to other ropes within saidarea; and there being at the base a plate surrounding theropes'protectively to a low elevation above the floor.

RALPH L. DREW.

